Tuesday, November 04, 2008

My last holiday, I took the laptop, believing I would be able to squirrel away some writing time. I didn't, and it was a big disappointment (in terms of writing, not in terms of the holiday).

So when we went to Sydney, I didn't take the laptop. I didn't even take a print-out of any of my existing projects. All I took, writing-wise, was a shorthand notebook, a biro, and a copy of a story a friend had asked me to critique.

It turned out to be a great decision. Without the pressure to work on an existing project, in a new setting, and without the laptop, it turned out that I wrote quite a bit (not sure how many words because I haven't transcribed them yet) of a story that I thought was dead.

Until the holiday, I hadn't thought about this story for a couple of years.

And of course, that flows on to other projects, because you realise that projects are never really dead -- all you need to do is pick up the pen (or open the file) and start work again.

Monday, October 13, 2008

I'm working on an article for Black magazine about people who deal with the dead - morticians, pathologists, police, ambulance workers etc.

The crux of the article is what is it like to have to deal with death on a daily basis? What are the coping strategies that people use to deal with it - especially those who have to deal with traumatic deaths?

If you would like to be interviewed for the article, or if you know someone who works in these kinds of areas, please email me: garykemble [at] yahoo [dot] com [dot] au or gary [at] brimstonepress [dot] com [dot] au.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Brimstone Press (the publishers of Black magazine) liked my zombie walk feature (issue 2) so much that they've commissioned me to write/edit a hardcover coffee table book about the phenomenon, tentatively titled Brains for Breakfast! (Actually, it may be Braaaaaiiins for Breakfast)

It will be a snapshot of the zombie walk/lurch/shuffle scene in 2008, focussing on the events so far as well as World Zombie Day lurches and other zombie-themed events such as Thrill the World.

Brimstone is offering $50 or a copy of the book in exchange for photos chronicling the events.

The book is slated for an Easter 2009 release (drawing on the whole resurrection theme).

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

The world may be going to hell in a handbasket but according to Birmo that's good news for fellow speculative fiction writers.

"I was actually at a booksellers conference the other day, I went down to talk to the managers of all the Borders stores in the country about Without Warning and we were having a chat before I got up to do my pimpin', and they were saying that escapist literature is very, very popular at the moment and they think the reason is people are just turning away from the world of real things because real things just aren't all that fun at the moment."

The You can check out the full article in issue 3 of Black magazine, available in all good newsagencies mid-November.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Just a quick post to say thank you to everyone who came out for the One Book Many Brisbanes reading at Brisbane Writers Festival today.

We were up against some stiff competition so I (and all the other panellists) really appreciate it.

It was an interesting session -- it would have been good if there had been time for questions.

A couple of things that really resonated with me:

* Jennifer Barrett's story about how, with bare days to go until the competition closed (having decided she'd never finish her story in time), she had a dream where her husband was holding up a copy of the book. He said: "Why do we have all these copies of the same book?" The book he was holding up was the previous year's OBMB edition! She found the competition details and realised that 20 copies of the anthology was part of the prize! Then she took a day off work to finish her story.

* Rena Frohman used her $6,000 to buy 'time'. A brilliant idea. She bought 20 Thursdays off from work, and says she has had a very productive 15 weeks so far.

Now, I have to get off my backside and finish my story for this year's competition!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

It features stories from Australia's dark past, the 'masters' such as Terry Dowling and Kaaron Warren, and more fiction from upstarts (or, as Brimstone puts it, 'the new era') such as myself ('Feast or Famine').

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Featuring a heap of stuff, including Rob Hood going head to head with the George A Romero at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Also, from me, coverage of Sydney Supanova (including a Q and A with Supernatural star Jared Padalecki, behind the scenes on Hellboy 2, and a stack of awesome cosplay photos) and a feature about the flash mob/zombie lurch phenomenon.

If you don't see it on the shelf at your local newsagents, as for it by name!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

As you may have seen in the Brisbane Writers Festival program, I'll be appearing with fellow One Book Many Brisbanes authors Jennifer Barrett, Isabel D'Avila Winter, Rena Frohman and Alexis Hailstones at the Brisbane Writers Festival!

The reading/talk, chaired by Sabina O'Callaghan, will be held at The Studio, State Library Queensland, from 10am to 11am on Sunday, September 21.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Paul Haines, a much-loved member of the Aussie specfic commuity is going through a tough time. After being diagnosed with bowel cancer, having sections of his bowel removed and enduring six months worth of chemotherapy, he has recently discovered he has spots on his liver. Paul has met this news by reloading his guns and is going to fight it with two other forms of chemotherapy for cancers like his, combined with a monoclonal antibody called Avastin. Avastin, however is not part of Medicare or the private health system's funding at this stage. It costs $20,000 to do it. Money that he doesn't have.

Issue one features a range of juicy content, including my articles on Heath Ledger's turn as The Joker, the secret life of a Dominatrix, an interview with The Zombie Diaries director Michael Bartlett, and a feature about the ghosts of Toowong Cemetery.

Had an excellent time. Finally caught up with Ben Templesmith, after much exchanging of email. Also, finally got to have a good chat with Marianne de Pierres (which I can't believe hasn't happened sooner).

And then of course there were the 'drawcards' - Supernatural heart-throb Jared Padalecki and Firefly/Serenity/Stargate Atlantis star Jewel Staite.

It was an interesting experience for an 'outsider' (ie, someone who has never seen any of these shows).

And I can really see how events such as Supanova work in terms of pulling in new fans - I left on Sunday feeling quite overwhelmed, knowing that there's about a billion hours of TV/movies/comics that I need to catch up on.

Speaking of catching up, I met up with Stuart McKenny, who I used to work with ages ago at Quest Newspapers. At the time he was trying to break through into comics. It was excellent to see he has done just that.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Had an excellent time today at the One Book Many Brisbanes 3 launch at City Hall.

It was a great opportunity to meet some people I've been swapping emails with since finding out I was one of the winners, although it would have been good to have more time to chat with the other authors.

Check out the Flickr photo pool here. (If you were at the launch and took photos and don't mind sharing them, please join the group and upload your photos).

There's a possibility some of the authors might be appearing at a local library near you soon, so if I can I'll definitely be getting involved in that -- I'd love to hear some of the stories behind the stories.

Speaking of which, you can now read all of the stories (including "Untethered") here.

You can find out how to buy the book here, or alternatively borrow it from your local library.

The really good news is that Brisbane City Council is going to run the competition again next year.

I would strongly recommend that if you're a writer, you enter. I never thought I would win. I entered because, frankly, with a $6,000 prize, how could I not enter. And look what happened.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Finally, I get to reveal where all my spare time has been going lately:

Western Australian publisher Brimstone Press is proud to announce the launch of a major new national magazine - aptly titled BLACK: Australian Dark Culture - that exposes Australia's attraction to the dark side.

BLACK editor-in-chief Angela Challis describes the magazine as a revelation and one of the few genuinely new offerings at news stands.

"Crime dramas are the most popular shows on TV, horror movies are flooding video stores, and paranormal books are incredibly popular," she said.

"Everyone is drawn to the dark side … and there is clearly a demand for dark-themed entertainment, but until now, there has not been a publication that caters to the enjoyment of all things dark. BLACK will fill this expanding and increasingly popular niche."

BLACK managing editor and political reporter Shane Jiraiya Cummings views the magazine as a vehicle to explore the darker side of the human spirit, as well as pop culture and entertainment.

"Almost everyone loves the villain, and BLACK caters for that, but dark culture is more than just scary movies and brooding anti-heroes," he said.

"BLACK addresses serious social issues that many consider taboo like alternative lifestyles, euthanasia, and political censorship – such as China's ban on supernatural movies and literature in the lead-up to the Olympics, which we're covering in our launch issue."

The launch issue features:

* Heath Ledger as The Joker in the upcoming Batman movie The DarkKnight: the fateful role that may have led to his death.* M. Night Shyamalan on his new movie The Happening.* China's Olympic ghost ban.* Stephen King's Dark Tower series.* A glimpse into life as a dominatrix.* A tour throughBrisbane's necropolis.* Interviews with Australian authors Robert Hood, Marty Young, and Nathan Burrage.* … and an AUSTRALIAN EXCLUSIVE! – A new short story by STEPHEN KING (from his upcoming book Just After Sunset).* Plus competitions, news, fiction, opinion pieces, and an extensive HorrorScope review section!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

For one reason and another (more on this soon) I haven't had much time for my fiction lately.

Then, last night and tonight, I've found enough time to write a whole chapter of Number 13, the crime thriller I'm working on with British writer Mark Wagstaff and fellow Brisbanite Damon Cavalchini.

I find when time is scare it really gets to me, it's like an itch I can't scratch. And then when I finally find some time to write, it's like a soothing balm. (Okay, enough with the bad metaphors).

On the Vision list recently there was a discussion about the Alphasmart, which is basically a cut-down word processor that you can take anywhere, anytime.

I have to say, if I can get one second-hand, I'd definitely consider it. I love my Mac, but it would be nice to have something cheap that I could just lug around with me -- the electronic version of a notebook and pen, which is what I use at the moment.

Which serves it's purpose, but I find when there's a big gap between long-hand writing and transcribing, it can be a disincentive. And then there's the other issue of actually deciphering what I've written!

Friday, May 30, 2008

A letter of mine has been published in today's Courier-Mail, responding to a piece by Chuck Brooks earlier this week.

Unfortunately Brooks' letter isn't online, so I can't link to it, but the general gist was that arts funding in general (and the One Book Many Brisbanes competition in particular) is a waste of money.

Here's my response, for those who can't get their hands on a copy of the newspaper:

I'm sure there are many people who would agree with Chuck Brooks' musings on arts grants. Just as there are many people who don't agree with taxpayers' money being spent on deploying troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, health funds being spent looking after chronic smokers, or public monies spent propping up unsustainable industries.

But just like defence, health and big business, the arts is a valid and vital part of our society.

Mr Brooks says most people have never heard of the winners. So rather than judging the stories based on merit, he would have preferred them judged on profile? Why not just commission stories from Nick Earls, Rebecca Sparrow, David Malouf et al?

Because the whole point of One Book Many Brisbanes is to encourage all Brisbanites (in fact, the competition was open to all Queensland residents) to reflect on the place they call home.

It was open to everyone, including the cash-strapped waitresses, taxicab drivers, brickies and labourers Mr Brooks mentions.

The total prize pool of $60,000 works out to just over 3c per Brisbane resident. The total cost to ratepayers: 12c each? Let's be generous and call it 50c each.

As for public arts funding as a whole, a 2005 report (by the Canada Council) puts Australia well down the list of comparable countries, on just 0.14 per cent of GDP.

Hardly a case of enslaving and plundering the Australian people.

If you have ever enjoyed an Australian movie, book, play or CD, thank public funding, because I'm sure if you dig down far enough, at some point in their careers those writers, musicians, directors and playwrights have needed a helping hand.

As for living on the public teat, I can say from a personal perspective that nothing could be further from the truth.

I've been writing seriously for 10 years - for love, not for the money. Most of my stories have been published by small press magazines (run by people who also do it for the love), paying generally $25-$50 a pop.

I write because I enjoy it, not for prize cheques. But I applaud Brisbane City Council for celebrating the craft of writing, and the contribution writers make to society, through One Book Many Brisbanes.

When the anthology is released next month, I invite all Brisbanites to read it (it will be available for Brisbane City Council libraries) and decide for themselves whether it is worth their 3 cents.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

At the launch of the new James Bond novel Devil May Care, Sebastian Faulks says:

"In his house in Jamaica, Ian Fleming used to write a thousand words in the morning, then go snorkelling, have a cocktail, lunch on the terrace, more diving, another thousand words in late afternoon, then more Martinis and glamorous women.

"In my house in London, I followed this routine exactly, apart from the cocktails, the lunch and the snorkelling."

Never mind the cocktails and glamorous women - I'm just envious of anyone who can get through 2,000 words a day.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

One of my colleagues at ABC News Online interviewed Tim Winton yesterday, talking to him about his latest novel Breath and writing in general.

You can read the feature here. I blogged it at Articulate, but I thought it was worth distilling the quote even further here:

"The magic of story overcomes most geographical or political or even age orgender differences between people."

I know that that resonates with the sf project I'm working on at the moment (was agonising over the setting and nationality of the characters) and I'm sure it resonates with most other writers as well.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I'm acting photo editor at work for the next two weeks, so I've been paying more attention than usual to Flickr.

Check out most recent uploads - 4.600-odd in the past minute. All kinds of photos, from arty to family snapshots to just plain weird.

I found this excellent photo of Dan Deacon at the Coachella Festival, blogged it at Articulate and then commented on the photo page. Within minutes, Mick O had posted a comment back at Articulate.

Until I found that photo I'd never heard of Dan Deacon, or the Coachella Festival, and certainly not of Mick O! Now I've got a relationship with Mick O. I mean, obviously it's a very shallow one but it's a seed, and some of these seeds will grow.

I've also recently renewed my acquaintaince with Facebook - for better or for worse. :) Since giving up on it a while back, they've introduced this "People you may know" feature. It's bizarre, seeing all these people you very barely know, you may have met once, or people from your deep, dark past. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but it will definitely change many people's lives, if only in a small way.

These are just a couple of tiny, tiny examples, but I sometimes get the sense that the wired world is on the verge of something.

And as a writer, it all feeds into the subconscious (along with all the juicy tidbits of knowledge I pick up off Wikipedia).

(P.S. This blog post is also a test of Writer, a nifty little web-based word processing program. You write stuff on it, then can save it, email it, post drafts to your blog. It's pretty cool)

Friday, April 18, 2008

I can now happily reveal that my short story “Untethered” has won a spot in the Brisbane City Council’s One Book Many Brisbanes anthology.

Given that this is by far the biggest competition I’ve ever won and, let’s face it, could be the biggest I ever win, there’s a few people I’d like to thank.

My wife Amelia. Writing is hard at the best of times, but when you’ve got two kids under five, it’s a real challenge finding the time. Amelia isn’t really into horror and science fiction, but she has always helped me find the time when I’ve really needed it. Without her help, “Untethered” either would not have been finished by the deadline, or would not have been polished to the extent that it was.

I’d like to thank the Vision Writers group, especially those who found time to do a last-minute critique of “Untethered”. The feedback, most of which I acted on, was obviously on the money! I’m very grateful to Rowena Lindquist for introducing me to Vision a few years back. I’m not the most active member, but it’s good to be able to connect with other speculative fiction writers, even if only via the internet.

And while I’m thanking writing groups, I’d like to extend this to the Australian Horror Writers Association and Queensland Writers Centre. People sometimes think writing is a lonely hobby and, while the actual sitting down and typing is a solitary experience, there is no shortage of camaraderie for those who wish to seek it out.

A big thanks to all the editors who have published my stories over the years, especially those who have offered me feedback and helped me improve my craft. I’d like to single out Angela Challis (Brimstone Press) for special thanks. I sold my first story to Angela’s Shadowed Realms. It gave me a lot of confidence going forwards. Since then, she has been very supportive of my writing.

Finally, I’d like to thank David Kowalski. David didn’t have any input into “Untethered”, but our chats over the past few months have made a big difference to my attitude to my writing. Earlier this year I was thinking about putting writing “on the back burner”. David’s limitless enthusiasm is a large reason I’ve persevered, and hopefully that decision will bear fruit over the coming years.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Hi, I am a writer, journalist and blogger based in Brisbane, Australia. If you’re reading this bio much after September 21, 2010, please email me for something more up-to-date.

I've written stories all my life. While I identify myself as a 'horror' writer (or more broadly a speculative fiction writer) I've had a variety of stories published, including literary, romance and thriller. I do love horror, zombies in particular, and I think I identify with the 'outsider' status that comes with focusing my writing on the dark side.

I had my first short story win on September 10, 2001. Since then, my short fiction has been published in magazines, anthologies and online in Australia, the US and the UK. Zombie schlockfest 'Dead Air' was picked up by Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror and received an honourable mention in the 21st Years Best Fantasy and Horror.

I've had two wins in the One Book Many Brisbanes competition. Time travel story 'Untethered' won in 2007 and sf/horror tale 'Bug Hunt' in 2009.

I work as a journalist for ABC News Online, where my roving brief includes coordinating ABC News's social media strategy.

In 2005 I helped establish Articulate, the ABC’s arts weblog, and was an active contributor until the blog's demise earlier this year, mostly covering the speculative fiction beat. I am now a sometimes contributor to The Buzz. My non-fiction has also been published in Black: Australian Dark Culture and Writing Queensland magazine.

In 2010 I blogged AussieCon 4, the 68th World Science Fiction Convention, thanks to help from Arts Queensland.

Monday, April 07, 2008

I have just interviewed James Doig on his Australian Gothic and Australian Nightmares anthologies of vintage Australian horror/supernatural fiction.

"I guess there is a danger here that we're becoming homogenised, subsumed by the latest Hollywood blockbuster. Just as the regional ghost story in the United States and Britain has pretty much disappeared, there is a danger that national traditions will go the same way. Too many modern stories have their roots in American popular culture - Stephen King, Hannibal Lector, Night of the Living Dead - rather than our own traditions.

"That said, I should say that our best writers have their own unique, distinctly Australian, voices. Terry Dowling, Margo Lanagan and Lucy Sussex are as good as anyone writing today, and there are many more who are right up there."